Two nurses talk to the mother of a young child inside the ER at Upstate University Hospital Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. Upstate is one of the schools that is offering free tuition through Caring Gene. (N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com)N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
Syracuse, NY — New York state is bankrolling free tuition for thousands of people to attend school for nursing and a dozen other health-related professions.
But the deadline to apply is coming up fast.
Participants in the Caring Gene program must finish schooling by spring 2027 to qualify for free tuition. That means starting school this fall, at the latest, for professions like nursing.
Here’s how to apply for free tuition through Caring Gene.
“We’re really pushing to get students,” said Tosha Grimmer, Caring Gene executive director. “We’re not concerned about funding. We want to support as many students as we can.”
More than 1,000 students have signed up for the program across Upstate New York. Similar programs exist for Downstate residents.
The $694 million program is designed to expand access to healthcare professions to people who might otherwise not be able to afford school.
Besides nursing, professions include everything from respiratory therapy to mental health counselor.
To meet the deadlines, applicants must start by the fall semester to finish schooling in time, Grimmer said. There’s a three-year service commitment afterward that must be satisfied by 2031.
The program has no income or location-based restrictions, she said. Applicants should be residents of New York state or live in a nearby state and work for a New York health care provider.
In Central New York, participating schools include Onondaga Community College, Le Moyne College, Upstate Medical University, Bryant & Stratton and colleges of nursing at Crouse and St. Joseph’s hospitals, among others.
See a complete list of professions and schools in the Caring Gene program.
The need is great: Central New York sees roughly 5,000 healthcare-related job openings each year, including roughly 1,000 for nurses.
Caring Gene is a limited-time opportunity because it’s funded under a Medicaid waiver that expires in a few years.
In exchange for free tuition, students under Caring Gene agree to work in a healthcare setting with a patient population that is at least 30% covered by Medicaid for three years.
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Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or (315) 470-6070.